


Nervous

by dogramagra



Category: The Outsiders - All Media Types, The Outsiders - S. E. Hinton
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, M/M, Pining, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:14:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23924452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dogramagra/pseuds/dogramagra
Summary: Curly starts hanging out with the littlest Curtis brother a lot more than he used to. Dallas Winston is the one to figure out why.
Relationships: Dallas Winston/Tim Shepard, Ponyboy Curtis/Curly Shepard
Comments: 8
Kudos: 143





	Nervous

**Author's Note:**

> it’s almost 3am please take this <3 also i didn’t proofread this

Curly likes Ponyboy a whole lot. Pony’s got a nice smile and real tuff hair and pretty eyes, even if he doesn’t like them being green and all. He’s also the smartest person Curly’s ever met, and usually he would make fun of someone like that, for being a nerd or something, but he likes it when Ponyboy rambles on and on about some book he’s never even heard of. He still teases him for it, though, and Pony’s face will get all red, even his ears. Curly thinks it’s cute, so he tries to make Pony blush all the time. Pony knows he’s being messed with, but he doesn’t really pick up on why. Curly kind of wishes that he would. 

Then again, he kind of hopes he doesn’t. The thought of Pony knowing Curly likes him makes him nervous. He’d never admit that, though, because he’s a Shepard, and they don’t get nervous. Especially not because of kids like Ponyboy Curtis, but that’s just it. He’s used to greaser girls that look like they’ll cuss you out just for talking to them, and he’s used to rough boys that look like they’ll break your nose if you breathe the wrong way, but he’s not used to Ponyboy Curtis at all. Pony isn’t tough like all the boys in the Shepard Gang, and Curly’s not even sure if he’s as tough as anyone in the Curtis Gang, either. Pony’s always been a little soft, for a greaser at least, and Curly’s scared he’s too much. He’s scared he’ll say something wrong, and then Pony won’t want to hang around him anymore.

It’s a stupid thing to be scared of. Ponyboy laughs at all his jokes, and listens to him talk about anything and everything (even when he’s being loud and annoying), and he’s buddies with Dally. It doesn’t get worse than Dally. Well, maybe Tim, but even then, Curly thinks they’re pretty equal. He really doesn’t have anything to worry about, but he still is. It’s why he’s leaning against the wall, twisting his earring around in his ear. He knows he’s not supposed to mess with it, but he figures it’s less obvious than shaking his leg or running his hand through his hair. He doesn’t want anyone at school thinking he’s nervous, even if he is. It’s a bad habit he’s got, not being able to stand still, and it’s worse when he’s all worked about something. 

When Ponyboy finally walked around the corner, Curly pushed himself off the wall, letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. He took his hand that was playing with his earring down, sticking in his pocket, and slung the other around Pony’s neck. If Pony jumped a little, Curly pretended not to notice. 

“Hey, Baby Curtis,” he says, grinning. It seems like he’s always grinning. 

“Hey, Curly,” Ponyboy says, and that’s all, but he’s kind of quiet like that. Curly doesn’t really mind. It just means he gets to talk more, and boy does he like to talk, so that’s exactly what he does.

“You doin’ anythin’ tonight? ‘Cause poor, poor Curly Shepard is gone be all alone for the rest of the night!” He makes sure to be real dramatic about it. “Tim and Angel both got somethin’ they’re doin’, and God knows where the parents have been the last couple of days. In other words, you wanna come over? I don’t feel like bein’ bored out of my mind for too long.”

Pony looks surprised. “Sure, but I gotta be home before it gets dark or Darry’ll kill me. You know how he is. Especially with you, no offense.” 

Curly laughs. “Yeah, yeah, I know how he is. Look, I’ll even walk you home and everything. All gentlemanly like.” 

He doesn’t blame Darry for not being too keen on them being friends. He gets it. Pony’s a good kid and Curly’s not. That’s all there is to it. He gets it, really, but it’s still been making him nervous for the past half hour. Pony hangs out with him at school all the time, sure, but that’s all. He thought maybe Pony didn’t want to be seen with him outside of school, or something like that. 

Ponyboy shoves him a little bit, but he’s smiling, and says, “You don’t have to walk me home, stupid.” 

Curly feels alright again. 

They start hanging out like that a lot. It’s rare that they go to the Curtis house, mostly because Darry gives Curly dirty looks every time he comes around and makes Ponyboy keep the door open while he’s over, but it’s pretty fun at the Shepard place. Tim thinks Pony’s a good kid and all, like everyone does, and Curly’s almost positive Angel’s trying to make moves on him. He really doesn’t like that too much, because he’s trying to do the same thing, but at least she likes him. It’s not the best when Angel doesn’t like somebody. 

Oh, and speaking of making moves, Ponyboy’s a complete idiot. He might be booksmart, Curly’ll give him that, but he sure as hell isn’t anything else. Curly’s been flirting with him for weeks, very, very obviously, and Pony still doesn’t get it. Curly’s not all that subtle in the first place, and he’s really going out of his way to drop hints that he’s got a thing for Pony, but Pony acts like he doesn’t have a damn clue. What’s really killing Curly is that he thinks he’s just joking, and Curly’s supposed to be the dumb one here. He’s starting to figure out that that may not be true. At the very least, they’re equal. 

Curly just about can’t stand it anymore. When they’re sitting in his room, and Pony’s just talking and talking, Curly stops listening and just stares. He stares at his hair, and his eyes, and his lips, and he wants to kiss him. But, God, Ponyboy makes him so nervous. He thinks about kissing him, about holding his hand even, and he can’t help it when his leg starts to shake a little bit. He tries to tell himself he’s going to do it, but he always chickens out. Every single time, he’ll interrupt Pony mid-sentence and say, “You’re cute, ya know.”

Pony never does realize that he means it. He just laughs and says, “Yeah, whatever, Curly.”

Usually Curly laughs it off too, but today, he’s a little tipsy. He stole some of Tim’s liquor last night and drank most of it last period. It’s just so boring to be at school sober, especially since he doesn’t really give a damn about it. He only goes because Tim makes him, really. When school got out, he thought it would be a pretty good day to invite Pony over, because everyone was gone again, and he’s not a fan of being by himself for too long. Now he’s thinking it would be a really good time to kiss Pony. He’s less nervous this time, even if his leg is still shaking. 

“No, I’m serious.” Curly sits up some. “You’re cute, when ya talk about stuff like that, I like it.”

Pony’s face starts getting red, and it makes Curly smile. Pony’s real cute when he does that, too. Pony’s just real cute, is all. He’s so cute that Curly leans in, and he almost kisses him, but he stops.

“Can I kiss you, Pony?”

Now, Curly doesn’t normally ask when he kisses people, but Pony’s not the kind of person he’d normally kiss, either. He figures it won’t hurt. 

“Yeah. Yeah, you can, yeah, sure.”

And so he does. He kisses him, and he does it again, and again, and again. Any nervousness Curly had before was definitely gone by now, and he thought he might start vibrating with excitement. Pony likes him. Pony really likes him, the same way he likes Pony. He doesn’t have to worry about it anymore.

He really wishes he would have heard the front door open, or the bedroom door, before he heard Dallas Winston’s smart mouth. 

“Oh, my, my, what do we have here?”

Curly and Pony both jump back like they’ve been shocked. Curly bangs his head against the wall. 

Dally thinks it‘s all real funny, and he laughs for a couple seconds before saying anything. “Hey, Kid Curls, watch your head. There’s a wall there.”

Curly would say something smart back, but all the nervousness from before rushed back. Nobody could know about him and Pony. He didn’t even know how Pony was going to take it, and now he’s got to deal with Dally knowing. Dally, who knew Tim, who could tell Tim. Oh God, he doesn’t want Tim to find out. And he’s just sitting there, scared, and he doesn’t know what to say, and Pony won’t say anything either. They’re both scared. He’s got to say something, though.

“Please don’t tell Tim,” he says. “Dally, don’t tell him.”

“What? What, are you worried about it?” Dally sounds confused. 

Curly starts messing with his earring again. “Yeah. Yeah, Dally, wouldn’t you be? Shouldn’t you be yelling at us right now?”

“What, do you not know? Really, you don’t know?” Dally asks, and he doesn’t give time for an answer before continuing. “Shit, kid, I’ve fucked your brother. More than once. I don’t give a damn if you’re with Pony, and neither does he.”

Curly just sits there. Now, what is he supposed to say to that?

Dally grins. “News?”

“No, I definitely thought my brother and Dallas Winston had a thing goin’ on. That’s exactly what I thought,” Curly says. 

“Yeah, yeah, can it, kid.” Dally turns to Pony. “Hey, and I won’t tell your brothers either. Don’t be worried ‘bout nothin’ like that.”

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” Pony says. Curly thinks he’s still in shock. 

“Alright. Kid Curls, where’s your brother at, anyway? I’m lookin’ for him.”

“To do what?”

“Shut it, before I knock you out, you little punk. Nothin’ like you’re thinkin’.”

Curly laughs a little, and he tells Dally he doesn’t know where Tim is, and that’s the truth. Tim’s been gone for a couple days, but he leaves like that sometimes. It’s just how it is.

Dally leaves, and then Pony leaves, which is really awkward, after everything, and Curly decides he’s going to turn tipsy into drunk. He really, really didn’t need to know about what Dally and Tim get up to in their spare time. Worse things could happen, though.

A few days later, Tim still isn’t home, and Dally stops by again. 

“My favorite Shepard twin here?” He yells it as soon as he opens the front door, then he sees Curly sitting on the couch. “Aw, no, it’s the other one.”

“Whatever, man. You seen Tim? He ain’t been around in a while,” Curly asks.

“Yeah, that’s what I came to tell you. He’s in the cooler, but I don’t know how long. Sorry, kid.”

He knows that when Dally says sorry, he really means it. Curly tries not to show it, but anyone can tell how much he misses Tim while he’s locked up. He can’t stand it. 

“S’fine,” he says, even though it’s not. “Thanks for tellin’ me, Dally.”

“Yeah, sure thing. Hey, where’s Angel? Was hopin’ to tell her, too. You’ll probably forget.”

“I won’t,” Curly says, just a little bit offended. “She’s out with some guy. Brian, or something like that. I don’t really remember.”

“Yeah, well, you better not forget. Hey, you gone tell her ‘bout you and Ponykid? You gone tell Tim when he gets out?”

Curly freezes for a second. It still makes him nervous to talk about, and it’s not really like him and Pony are a thing yet. They just kissed, is all. They’re not dating.

“No. I don’t think so, no.”

“Alright, whatever. I’m tellin’ you, he won’t care,” Dally says, and he starts to walk to the door. “I’ll come back by next week sometime.”

“You know you don’t have to check on us, right? We’ll live.”

“Yeah, I know. Tim asked me to. And I don’t know ‘bout that last part, I think somebody’s gotta keep the twins from killin’ each other.” 

Curly rolls his eyes, but Dally doesn’t see it. Thankfully. 

“Dally?”

“What?”

“I know Tim won’t care, but don’t tell him. I wanta be the one to do it.”

“Sure, Kid Curls. I promise.” Dally doesn’t ever promise.

“Alright.”

Curly loves Dallas like a brother.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!!! i hope you liked it and kudos/comments are super super appreciated ily all :)
> 
> also when dally said tim told him to check up on curly and angel that was a lie. he just cares a lot about them and won’t admit it <3


End file.
